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Woman charged with capital murder

Times Staff Report

Published: Friday, March 1, 2013 at 11:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, March 1, 2013 at 4:36 p.m.

An Attalla woman was charged Thursday with capital murder, the same day her husband pleaded guilty to murder charges in connection with the deaths of two men in 2009, according to a news release from Sheriff Todd Entrekin.

Robert Wayne Kelley, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of abuse of a corpse one day after his trial on capital murder charges was scheduled to begin. Margie Morgan Kelley, 38, was arrested later Thursday.

Margie Kelley originally was charged with hindering prosecution and abuse of a corpse after the remains of her father, Rocky Morgan, 55, and her cousin, James Bachelor, 38, were discovered in a field south of Attalla.

Morgan and Bachelor were last seen on Dec. 2, 2009. They were reported missing on Dec. 11, and their remains were found on Dec. 16.

At the time, Entrekin said the men were last seen with plans to go fishing in Guntersville, which was part of the Kelleys’ story about their whereabouts, but they never went fishing. The men were supposed to be in Morgan’s truck, a 1993 Chevrolet, which later was found, Entrekin said. Another family member reported them missing.

Authorities believe the men were shot and killed at Morgan’s home on Rocky Hollow Road and left there for several days. Their bodies then were taken in a van, over a period of a few days, about three miles to a field on Center Road, just off U.S. Highway 11.

The men’s remains were found strewn across the field after the Kelleys allegedly created a bonfire out of wood and tires and burned the bodies, keeping the fire going throughout the night. DNA testing determined the remains were those of Morgan and Bachelor.

In the three months leading up to Robert Kelley’s scheduled trial, investigators from the district attorney’s office and the sheriff’s office, as well as prosecutors, discovered additional evidence as witnesses were interviewed that led to Margie Kelley’s arrest.

She is being held without bond in the Etowah County Detention Center. Robert Kelley is scheduled for sentencing April 24 by Presiding Circuit Judge Allen Millican.

<p>An Attalla woman was charged Thursday with capital murder, the same day her husband pleaded guilty to murder charges in connection with the deaths of two men in 2009, according to a news release from Sheriff Todd Entrekin.</p><p>Robert Wayne Kelley, 38, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of abuse of a corpse one day after his trial on capital murder charges was scheduled to begin. Margie Morgan Kelley, 38, was arrested later Thursday.</p><p>Margie Kelley originally was charged with hindering prosecution and abuse of a corpse after the remains of her father, Rocky Morgan, 55, and her cousin, James Bachelor, 38, were discovered in a field south of Attalla.</p><p>Morgan and Bachelor were last seen on Dec. 2, 2009. They were reported missing on Dec. 11, and their remains were found on Dec. 16.</p><p>At the time, Entrekin said the men were last seen with plans to go fishing in Guntersville, which was part of the Kelleys' story about their whereabouts, but they never went fishing. The men were supposed to be in Morgan's truck, a 1993 Chevrolet, which later was found, Entrekin said. Another family member reported them missing.</p><p>Authorities believe the men were shot and killed at Morgan's home on Rocky Hollow Road and left there for several days. Their bodies then were taken in a van, over a period of a few days, about three miles to a field on Center Road, just off U.S. Highway 11.</p><p>The men's remains were found strewn across the field after the Kelleys allegedly created a bonfire out of wood and tires and burned the bodies, keeping the fire going throughout the night. DNA testing determined the remains were those of Morgan and Bachelor.</p><p>In the three months leading up to Robert Kelley's scheduled trial, investigators from the district attorney's office and the sheriff's office, as well as prosecutors, discovered additional evidence as witnesses were interviewed that led to Margie Kelley's arrest.</p><p>She is being held without bond in the Etowah County Detention Center. Robert Kelley is scheduled for sentencing April 24 by Presiding Circuit Judge Allen Millican.</p>